Nursery Worker

Crops/Commodities: ornamentals, trees. Perform manual and mechanized tasks associated with the outdoor production of horticultural products. Plant, cultivate, and maintain nursery stock, trees, shrubs, bedding plants, plugs, liners, and other horticultural varieties. Prepare fields/soil for planting. Remove cull stock, debris, tree stumps, brush, ferns, vines and other growth from planting area using hand tools or mechanized equipment (rakes, shovels, hoes, tractors, mattocks, brush hooks and/or axes). Plant/pot seedlings or ‘liners' by hand or mechanical planter. Propagate plants from cuttings. Prepare trees for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary. Hand dig trees and other plants with shovel or tree spade. Assemble and disassemble racks used for shipping nursery stock. Operate agricultural tractors to move plant trailers within the farm and use forklifts on farm premises as part of nursery production tasks, including loading/unloading plants, moving plant trailers and pallets, and moving/staging nursery stock, soil, and supplies. Facility and equipment maintenance, including minor repairs and basic routine maintenance of tractors, wagons, forklifts, and other nursery equipment as needed. Barn repairs, shade structure repairs, greenhouse repairs, and bed repairs will be required. Load, stage, and prepare nursery stock for shipment, ensuring that plants are properly organized and ready for transport. Workers will be expected to have attention to detail, physical stamina, and the ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced agricultural environment. Perform general plant maintenance. Irrigate and apply fertilizer or other chemicals. Train, prune, trim, shear, space, transplant and cull trees and/or plants to ensure availability of marketable products. Shear trees with proper taper and bud cut angle for quality. Tie/position/stake trees, shrubs and plants by tying or wrapping as necessary. Count, inventory, and grade trees. Select trees for cutting according to grade. Cut trees using axe or chainsaw. Drag cut trees from cutting area. Bale trees using tree baler. Wrap burlap or other covering around root balls and secure with twine and/or staples. Pack, label, tag, pull, sort, and store plants by variety. Clean/maintain work area. Install/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Employees may need to irrigate trees and shrubs by hand or with the irrigation system. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Dig and maintain ditches. Install and remove levee gates. Propagation duties involve taking plant cuttings, preparing them, and sticking them into propagation trays. Apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other crop protectants. Apply fertilizers, plant growth chemicals, conditioners, and other plant related treatments at the correct times depending on plant type, growth, climate and crop conditions. Workers may need to load semi-trucks, pick-up trucks, trailers, etc. by hand or using a forklift. Workers may need to unload trucks by hand or with a forklift. Workers must operate all equipment properly and in a manner that protects operator, others, the employer's products and property. Failure to comply with safety requirements and operating instructions may result in disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination. Mow, cut, and weed fields. Perform ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, laying plastic, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping and kneeling required. Use hand tools including but not limited to hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, and saws. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies, and pull plants for shipping. Assist with farm building/field maintenance and repairs. Repair fences. Must wear assigned personal protective equipment when required. Must report for work daily wearing work clothing and boots or other durable foot wear.

Salary : $14